Fisher’s online attack on Brunner registered with DSCC

Lee Fisher is the DSCC’s chosen candidate for US Senate in Ohio, even to the point of threatening Jennifer Brunner in December. Brunner is Fisher’s Democratic primary opponent May 4, Ohio’s sitting secretary of state, and a hero of progressives nationally.

Last week, Brunner issued a directive enforcing longstanding law that requires a voter who wishes to switch parties and receive the other party’s primary ballot to sign a statement declaring they adhere to their new party’s principles. It’s a measure designed to prevent shenanigans like Rush Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos, wherein Republicans jumped to the Democratic primary in 2008 to skew the results in their favor.

“Lee Fisher should immediately tell Ohioans whether he supports Jennifer Brunner’s use of her position as Secretary of State in order to influence this critical election. It’s unacceptable that Brunner is jeopardizing voting rights, and Fisher should immediately step forward and denounce this maneuver,” said John McClelland, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party.

I used to consider myself a “progressive” .. Jennifer Brunner is no hero to me… Until she publically explains ..& reconciles her decision to allow Ohio BOE's to destroy the 2004 Presidential ballots ,against a Congressional injunction … with many unreconciled yet certified results.. ie many counties w/ more certified votes than registered to vote … no reconciliation of vote flipping on the then new to Ohio machines of people who voted for Kerry yet registered as Bush voters on the screen.. and arcane rules not followed that allowed almost the margin of win provisional ballots to be thrown out … what kind of hero is she really? Not super.. fo shizzle….no matter how glossy her new website may be I don't see her as a hero of elections reformed.. and I was a well trained .. county recount coordinator… sorry..

modernesquire

Yeah, the 2008 elections were a NIGHTMARE! Seriously? You want to plan Brunner for what happened BEFORE she was in office?

anastasia P

Lea, you're offbase here. First of all, the machines were only being used in a handful of counties ? single digits out of 88, so a small number of reported “flips,” which could never be traced two years later, didn't make a difference. And she did not make a “decision” to allow the Boes to destroy 2004 ballots, poll books and other records. They were actually scheduled to be destroyed anyway, based on the legal time line for retaining, and she was in the process of arranging for them to be shipped to be warehoused in Columbus since the BoEs were complaining they didn't have storage space. It was then that she discovered that much of the material had been “lost” or destroyed ? at least some in more than 50 counties. I wrote about this in depth for the Free Times. She was hoping to salvage and store the information ? which the BoEs had TWO YEARS to “lose” under Blackwell's reign. Apparently, they took advantage of this. To blame Jennifer for this is disingenuous at best and reflective of very misplaced blame. I was also a well-trained recount person ? I think that's where I met you. That was 2004. What, pray tell, would you have had Jennifer do in 2004 ? or 2005 ? or 2006?